Page 67 of Between Soul and Vessel
“I got him,” I said as I pulled Kaleb up and out onto the rocky ground.
Folkoln emerged beside him, crawling on all fours. He flopped over onto his back, and with a wild smile, he panted, “Nowthatwas a rush.”
I chuckled. Only someone as screwed in the head as my brother would enjoy getting eaten by a giant and shit out into a river of the dead.
“If that’s what you want to call it. Did you see anyone else?” I asked.
“No, just Kaleb. Figured I better grab him,” Folkoln said as he got up, shaking his head like a dog, water droplets spraying out everywhere.
I scanned the surface of the river. “We’ll have to find the others.”
Folkoln nodded.
I checked Kaleb over. I couldn’t see any visible damage, everything looked intact—ten fingers, ten toes, one pint-sized mortal cock. Check. Check. Check.
Fate’s words replayed in my mind,Six find their feet, two need time, one is broken.Folkoln and I were two of the six who had found their feet, which meant Kaleb either needed more time to wake, or he was the broken one.
Only time would tell.
A frustrated scream echoed through the tunnel,bouncing off the walls like a boomerang. I looked further up the river.
Saphira was standing there, going in circles. A long, black appendage with a piece of fluff on the end swayed behind her, twirling as she rotated.
Folkoln started, “She’s got a . . .”
“Tail,” I finished as we stood there gawking at our infuriated sister who swirled around and around. A black, snarling cat chasing her own tail.
Finally, grabbing ahold of it, she tugged on it and let out a pained yelp.
Folkoln burst into laughter.
And because I was every bit of the asshole he was, I did as well.
“Why are you laughing?” Saphira snarled as she thundered toward us, her eyes glowing with anger. “Did you do this?” Accusingly, she shook her tail, caught in in her firm grip, at Folkoln.
“No.” Folkoln shook his head, cackling as he said, “Although I wish I had.”
Saphira looked at me, and the fire in her eyes wicked out. Still on her good behavior act, she dropped her tail and didn’t dare ask if I had something to do with it.
“Ezra’s concoctions have side effects sometimes. I’m presuming this is one,” I speculated, crossing my arms over my chest.
She let out a frustrated sigh. “Do you think it will go away?”
“Hard to say,” I answered with a small shrug.
“Help!” an unfamiliar voice called out over the rushing waters. The three of us jerked our heads toward the river, looking to see who it was—
Lyra!
Without a second thought, I raced for the river and dove back in.
Arms churning, muscles firing, I swam to her.
Lyra’s wide eyes met mine as she struggled to keep herself upright. Underneath the water, in her arms, was Harper. Lyra gasped as she tried to keep the two of them from being dragged under. I grabbed them both, keeping the three of us above the water.
“Grab onto me,” Folkoln said to Lyra as he reached us.
She nodded, her hands wrapping around his arm.
